If you asked 100 randomly-chosen musicians to do a cover a the same song, what song would return the highest number of good covers? In other words, what is the hardest song to ruin? I was pondering this as I listened to Louis Armstrong doing "Summertime" and it occurred to me that I've never heard a non-awesome cover of that song.

On a separate note. It just occurred to me that the singer of The Knack looks like a young Bill Nye the Science Guy from his college days, lmao. Has anyone made that simile yet in interwebz history? Or am I some kind of "he looks like that guy" genius.

I've never heard a bad cover of "Hallelujah" (by Leonard Cohen), but I'm not sure there's anything about that particular song that makes it so.

My brother suggests "Chopsticks."

Maybe it should be a song where expectations aren't too high? I mean, when I hear that someone has done a Beatles cover, I immediately tense up, because I know that when you screw up a Beatles cover, you can screw it up badly. Whereas if you're some girl with a ukulele making a Youtube video, and you cover Britney Spears' "Toxic," who's going to care if you do it badly?

Funny, I once posted a question here many years ago asking what was the biggest hit song of all time that would probably lose if it were a Song Fight entry, and the original Louie Louie was suggested and pretty much shut the thread down as the definitive answer.

Maybe it should be a song where expectations aren't too high? I mean, when I hear that someone has done a Beatles cover, I immediately tense up, because I know that when you screw up a Beatles cover, you can screw it up badly. Whereas if you're some girl with a ukulele making a Youtube video, and you cover Britney Spears' "Toxic," who's going to care if you do it badly?

Way back in '83 KFJC in Los Altos Hills did a weekend marathon of Louie Louie covers and the majority were done just for the event. They called it Maximum Louie Louie. I think about 500 entries. The original songwrighter flew out for it. Poor guy. That song is easily butchered. I know KALX preceded this with it's own event but only had 100 or so. Ah, college radio.

I once had an album (on vinyl) that was just a bunch of cover versions of Flipper's "Sex Bomb". My favorite was essentially just the drum track and baseline with a couple of girls shrieking and screaming the "lyrics" for like 15 minutes.

Flipper's "Sex Bomb" is a song that is, arguably, impossible to ruin and impossible to improve.

"Yes, I am a Muppet with B.O.; this song speaks to me." - Manhattan Glutton